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The co-creator of the Doraemon manga, Fujiko A Fujio, passed away in his home on Apr. 7 in Kawasaki city near Tokyo, Nikkei Asia reported.

Fujiko A. Fujio, whose real name is Motoo Abiko, had a career as a manga artist which spanned 70 years and included works such as Obake no Q-taro, Ninja-Hattori Kun, Kaibutsu-kun (The Monster Kid), as well as more mature series such as The Laughing Salesman.

Japanese authorities said that they received an alert in the morning about Abiko collapsing in his own home.

SoraNews24 further reported that upon arriving at his house, authorities found Abiko unresponsive. He was later confirmed dead at the scene.

No significant injuries were found and the cause of death is under investigation.

Created Doraemon with his childhood friend

Nikkei Asia further reported that Abiko had worked together with Hiroshi Fujimoto, his childhood friend, to create Doraemon, under the combined pen name of Fujiko Fujio. It debuted in 1969.

They also created another series together called Obake no Q-taro, which was centred on a mischievous ghost, under the same name.

Their partnership eventually ended in 1987, with Abiko continuing to work under the name of Fujiko A. Fujio, while Fujimoto assumed the pen name of Fujiko F Fujio.

Fujimoto continued to focus on works for children, as well as the Doraemon series according to SoraNews24, while Abiko would also create manga aimed at more mature audiences.

Fujimoto subsequently passed away in 1996.

Doraemon saw a resurgence in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic

In November 2020, Kyodo News reported that Doraemon saw a surge in popularity once again amidst school closures and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the series' publisher, Shogakukan Inc., over 5 million copies of the manga and other publications featuring Doraemon were printed in the 12 months leading up to November 2020.

At that time, Satoshi Matsui, head of Shogakukan's Doraemon Room was quoted as saying, "In the past year, I have been surprised anew by the enormous popularity of Doraemon. It is indeed Japan's No. 1 manga."

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Top collage left image via Nippon TV News 24 Japan YouTube, right photo via Doraemon Channel Facebook